Want faster broadband? Head south

Seven of the ten cities with the best superfast broadband penetration are located in the south, according to a new report. The Centre for Cities report is described as an “annual health check of the largest cities and towns” and provides a breakdown of the best and worst areas for superfast broadband. 

The 2015 report claims that Luton is the best UK “city” for superfast connections, with 88.9% of the area’s postcodes capable of receiving broadband at speeds of 30Mbits/sec or faster. As fans of Luton Town will doubtless point out, Luton isn’t actually a city, but the Centre for Cities includes major towns within its definition.

At the bottom end of the scale, only 12.9% of Hull’s residents have access to a superfast connection, although Hull is an outlier. The area is served solely by Kingston Communications – not by BT – and has fallen some way behind when it comes to fibre broadband, having once offered some of the fastest broadband speeds in the entire country. the next worst is Blackburn, which offers superfast connections to just over half (52.8%) of its postcodes. 

Find out who offers the best internet security software in 2015

Seven of the top ten cities are located in the south, with several on the South Coast itself. “At the other end of the table nine out of the 10 cities with the lowest percentage of fixed-line connections reaching superfast speeds are situated in the North and Scotland, with cities in Yorkshire accounting for four of these,” the report states. 

Overall, 72.9% of connections are capable of superfast speeds, according to the report, with city dwellers 1.5 times more likely to have a superfast connection than those in rural settings. 

Top ten cities

1. Luton 88.9%

2. Brighton 86.3%

3. Derby 85.5%

4. Worthing 84.6%

5. Bournemouth 82.8%

6. Portsmouth 82.3%

7. Nottingham 82.3%

8. Cardiff 82.1%

9. Aldershot 81.7%

10. Plymouth 81.5%

Worst 10 cities

54. Glasgow 62.4%

55. Doncaster 61.4%

56. Huddersfield 60.9%

57. Norwich 58.7%

58. Blackpool 57.9%

59. Barnsley 57.0%

60. Burnley 57.0%

61. Aberdeen 54.9%

62. Blackburn 52.8%

63. Hull 12.9%